So as Not to Damage Relations with Kim Jong Un: Trump Cuts Joint Military Exercises with Seoul

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction of joint military drills between the United States and South Korea. He wrote this on Sunday on his Truth Social platform.

“Given my very good relations with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, I am not happy that the United States has long agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea,” the White House chief said.

According to him, these drills “are not only expensive… but also send an absolutely inappropriate and hostile signal to a country that, while Donald Trump is president, has not posed a threat and has shown respect,” Trump wrote.

He said that cancelling the drills is already overdue, so he instructed Defense Secretary Pete (Piet) Hagset to substantially reduce them.

Trump also noted that South Korea did not express interest in joining the effort to denuclearize Iran.

“Although this may not be connected, I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in denuclearizing the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they answered: ‘No, thank you!’” Trump wrote.

The United States and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises, which Pyongyang traditionally interprets as preparation for a possible attack on North Korea.

As BAGNET reported, South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed to North Korea to begin direct negotiations to end the war between the two Koreas and discuss practical ways to halt Pyongyang’s nuclear program.